Bramall Lane: Sheffield United

Pretty much every football ground has a history to speak of in its own way, but Bramall Lane’s history knocks them all out of the water. The home of Sheffield United is actually the oldest professional football ground in the world, having hosted its first match as far back as 1862. The ground has its own claim to fame in a more modern sense, too, as it was the first to host a floodlit football match, which it did on the 14th of October 1878.

The uniqueness of Bramall Lane doesn’t stop there. It is one of only two stadiums in the world that has hosted an England football international match, an England cricket test match and an FA Cup Final. England’s national side played five internationals at the Sheffield ground before 1930, whilst the cricket test match came in 1902 when England played Australia. The FA Cup final was actually a replay between Barnsley and West Brom, a match that Barnsley won 1-0.

Bramall Lane Seating Plan & Where to Sit

Bramall Lane is, as is the case with most old stadia, built in the ‘English Style’ of having a separate stand on each side of the pitch. It does have two corner ‘infill’ stands in the South-West and North-East corners that are a concession to the more modern ‘Bowl Style’ of stadium, however. Here is some information on each of the main stands:

The Redbrik Stand - This is the oldest existing stand at the ground and used to be called The Bramall Lane Stand. It is a two-tier structure with the bottom-tier housing the away fans.

The Hualing South Stand - A lot of fans still refer to this as The Laver Stand, owing to the fact that this was what it was called for a long amount of time. It is the main stand at the ground and houses the Superstore and the club’s museum.

The Kennedy's Kop Stand - Currently sponsored by Kennedy’s Law, The Kop, as is traditional with kop stands, is a single-tier structure that houses the club’s most boisterous and vocal fans.

The Duchy Homes Family Stand - As the name suggests, this is considered to be Bramall Lane’s family stand and runs along the side of the pitch. This is also where the executive suites and executive boxes are located. It is linked to The Kop by Pukka Pie Corner.

Sheffield United Ticket Prices

The ticket pricing for matches at Bramall Lane isn’t the easiest thing to understand, with the club categorising matches, charging different amounts depending on where in the ground you want to sit and offering discounts for Blades Membership holders. There are also different prices on a match day to if you buy your tickets in advance.

Here are the cheapest and most expensive ticket prices for adults and concessions in each category, presuming you are not a Blames Member and are buying your ticket on the day of the game:

Category A*: £30 - £34 / £27 - £29

Category A: £27 - £31 / £22 - £24

Category B: £22 - £26 / £16 - £19

How To Get Sheffield United Tickets

As is the case with pretty much every team in the Football League, Sheffield United have a good website where you can look at your ticketing options and buy tickets for games. You can also call the club’s ticket office or drop-in in person. The ticket office at the ground is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm, from 9am until 12pm on non-match day Saturdays or from 9am until half-time and for fifteen minutes after the final whistle on the day of the game.

Where to Buy

Getting To Bramall Lane

Sheffield is in South Yorkshire and is reasonably easy to reach from pretty much anywhere in the country; though you might have a little bit more difficulty if the weather is bad. Here are some of the usual methods you’ll consider trying:

Train - Bramall Lane is just a few minutes walk away from Sheffield Railway Station, which is served by trains from the North and the South on a regular basis. There is also an excellent tram system in Sheffield, with Blue and Purple routes both stopping at Granville Road, which is about ten minutes walk from the ground.

Bus - Sheffield Bus Station is about fifteen minutes walk away from Bramall Lane so that’s where you’ll be dropped off if you get a bus or coach from outside the city. If you’re looking for a bus from here to the ground then head to the bus station and ask their advice of which one is your best bet.

Car - From the West you’ll want to take the A57 into the city before getting on to Upper Hanover Street and then following the signs to Bramall Lane. From any other direction you’ll want to get on the M1 until Junction 33 before following signs for Sheffield. When you reach the Park Square Roundabout take the third exit and follow signs for the ground.

By Air - Robin Hood Doncaster-Sheffield Airport is easily the closest to the ground, with bus services linking it to Doncaster and Barnsley from where you can get a train through to Sheffield.

Taxi - Getting a taxi from Sheffield Railway Station should cost in the region of £3.50 and take less than five minutes.

Parking Near Bramall Lane

There is a large car park at the ground itself, with numerous other parking options around the city. Do be aware of parking restrictions if you’re considering on-street parking, however.

As well as a restaurant and a bar this member of the Novotel chain also boasts a fitness centre with an indoor pool, seven meeting rooms and free Wi-Fi. The hotel is less than a mile from Bramall Lane. More details.

The closest of all of the hotels we recommend given that it’s actually on the same road as the stadium, the Copthorne has a fitness centre, a conference centre, a restaurant, a bar and free parking. More details.

Pubs & Bars Near Bramall Lane

Sheffield is a student city, so there are loads of great places to go for a drink before the game. It’s also a typical Northern town so it’s full of characterful little pubs you can visit, too. Here are some of our favourites:

The 1855 Bar

Bramall Lane, Sheffield, S2 4SU (011 4252 5480)

Generally one for the home fans rather than the away fans, The 1885 Bar is an upmarket place that has an array of drink options and serves light bites.

The Sheaf Island

Eccleshall Road, Sheffield, S11 8HW (0114 267 7700)

Located on the popular Eccleshall Road is this JD Wetherspoon’s pub that offer cheap drinks, cheap pub grub and some TVs dotted around the place. It’s very welcoming of away fans, too.

The Globe

54 Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 2LX (0114 276 3124)

The Globe is usually very popular with away fans, with a bargain menu, good cask ales and plenty of TVs showing live sports.

Facilities

As well as being excellent for disabled supporters, Bramall Lane is a ground with that perfect mix of history and modernisation. There are good, wide concourses with plenty of places to buy food and drink before and during the match, as well as kiosks where you can place a bet or two.

Prices

Programme: 3.00

Pie: 3.40

Cup of tea: 1.60

Hospitality

Despite not having been an established top-flight team for some time, Sheffield United’s hospitality options are as top-of-the-table as you can get. Here are some of the choices you’ll be faced with if you want to enjoy a Blades game in style:

The Platinum Suite - Located in The Topspring Stand and offering fantastic views of the pitch, your experience in The Platinum Suite will involve a three-course meal before the game, luxury armchair seats near the halfway line during it, refreshments at half-time and tea and coffee after the full-time whistle. There’s also a pay bar facility.

The TC-10 Restaurant - The club’s pitch-facing, glass-fronted restaurant offers an excellent hospitality experience, with pre-match entertainment hosted by former player Kevin Gage. You’ll get a two-course meal, a cinema style padded indoor seat, soup, tea or coffee at half-time and refreshments at full-time as well as access to a pay bar.

The 125 Room - This is the more relaxed of the hospitality experiences on offer, with appearances from former players more than likely. You’ll get a padded seat, access to a hot buffet, free tea and coffee at half-time and a pay bar.

Private Hire

Bramall Lane bills itself as a multi-purpose venue and with six different lounges or bars to choose from alongside 29 executive boxes it’s easy to see why. The club’s corporate team can host any number of events, from exhibitions through to major functions and even weddings. If you’re in Sheffield and you’re hosting a special occasion then the home of Sheffield United should definitely be high on your list of places to consider.

Stadium Tours & Museum

The tours last about an hour and take in all of the sites you’d expect a club tour to take in: the changing rooms, the hospitality suites, the player’s tunnel and the pitch side dugouts. It will set you back £6 if you're an adult and £4 if you're a concession. They're run quite sporadically, so get in touch with the club to find out when they're on.

There are only six dedicated club museums in England and one of them is at Bramall Lane. The Legend Of The Lane museum features a host of the club’s memorabilia, collected during its extensive and exciting history. It's £3 for adults to enter and £2 for concessions.

About Sheffield United

Sheffield United Football Club was formed as an off-shoot of Sheffield United Cricket Club in 1889 and have played their home games at Bramall Lane ever since their formation. They won the First Division in 1898 and have won the FA Cup on four separate occasions, having also lost out after making the final twice more. They have never won the League Cup, though they did reach the semi-final of that particular competition in both 2003 and 2015.

The theory of predestination suggests that everything that’s happened would have happened regardless of whether or not something in the past occurred differently, though that could have been put to the test if Sheffield Wednesday had never left Bramall Lane. As it is, their departure for Olive Grove meant that the owners of the Lane needed to find some new tenants to help them generate some income, hence Sheffield United were formed at the Adelphi Hotel, which was on the site of the Crucible Theatre.

Bramall Lane History

Before it became Sheffield United’s home ground, Bramall Lane was used as a cricket field, with six different cricket clubs playing there. A single test match was hosted at the stadium in 1902 when Australia played England, beating the hosts by 143 runs. Attendances weren’t good at the ground and England’s loss was blamed on poor light - something that was believed to be as a result of smoke from the nearby factories.

Football was played at Bramall Lane for the first time in 1862 when Sheffield Football Club went up against Hallam Football Club in order to raise money for the Lancashire Distress Fund. The ground was also used to host the final of the first known football tournament in the world, The Youdan Cup, with local team Hallam FC beating a Norfolk XI.

Future Developments

Bramall Lane has undergone numerous renovations during its lifetime, most recently in the mid-2000s. There are plans to expand the capacity on The Kop, but these have been paused until such a time as Sheffield United establish themselves as a regular Premier League club.